Sliding-door operator and lock.



H. G. VOIGHT.

SLIDING DOOR OPERATOR AND LOCK. APPLICATION FILED JAN.31, 1913.

1,070,364, Patented Aug. 12, 1913.

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UNTTED STATES PATENT GFFTGE.

HENRY G. VOIGHT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT.

SLIDING-DOOR OPERATOR AND LOCK.

Application filed January 31, 1913.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HENRY Gr. VOIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, county of Hartford, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sliding-Door Operators and Locks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improved form of door operator for use in connection with sliding doors, such as elevator doors, and is designed to provide among other things, a special form of operating handle which is always properly positioned and is so constructed and arranged as to be retained in its proper position and against distortion. This handle is used in conjunction with door locking and unlocking means and is described in detail in the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof and illustrating a preferable embodiment of the invention.

In these drawings: Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation'of a sliding door control mechanism embodying the present invention. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the parts shown in F ig. 1. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view in rear elevation of the door plate and operating handle detached.

In the present instance, it is not necessary to illustrate in detail the specific form of door controlling means with which the operating mechanism may be, and preferably is used. One such construction is fully set forth in my Patent No. 1.041,? 06, dated October 15, 1912. It is sufficient to say that the door controlling means comprises broadly, two interconnected toggle arms pivotally secured to the forward edge of the sliding door and to a stationary abutment in rear thereof, these arms swinging wlth the opening and closing of the door and be ing straightened out in horizontal alinement when the door is closed, thereby providing a dead-center lock and necessitating that this horizontal alinement be broken before the door can be moved to open position. In the present instance, therefore, I am only illustrating and describing such parts of the door control mechanism as are essentialto an understanding of the present invention.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, 1 indicates a sliding door and 2 a bracket Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 12,1913.

Serial No. 745,385.

plate fixedly secured thereto adjacent its forward edge.

3 designates one of the two interconnected toggle arms of the door control, this arm 3 being pivotally connected to the bracketplate 2 of the door as at at. hen the door is in closed position, the toggle arm 3 stands in the horizontal position shown in Fig. 1

of the drawings, this arm being in horizontal ahnement with its complemental and interconnected toggle arm and forming there- .with a dead-center lock as heretofore de scribed and as will be seen by reference to my Patent No. 1,041,706 hereinbefore referred to. WVhen the toggle arm 3 is moved on its pivot to break the dead-center lock of the horizontally alined toggle arms, the door may be moved to open position.

My improved operating means is designed to accomplish this result, and comprises an arm 5, preferably though not necessarily curved, pivotally secured to the bracketplate 2 as at 6 and having a cam slot 7 formed therein in which slot stands a pin 3 carried by the toggle arm 3. This arm 5 is preferably, though not necessarily, provided with a flat forwardedge as at 8. An operating handle 9 is pivotally secured to the bracket plate 2 at a point as at 10 above and in alinement withthe pivot point 6 of the arm 5. From the rear face of this handle member a stud 11 extends, this stud being positioned to engage the edge 8 of the arm 5 and swing'the same in a direction to swing the arm 5 upwardly, the cam slot 7 thereof riding about the pin 3" and by reason of its curvature moving the toggle arm 3 upwardly and breaking the dead-center lock of the toggle arms so that the door may be moved toward open position.

It is very desirable to provide means for retaining the operating handle in its proper position relative to the bracket plate 2 and prevent said arm from being bent or otherwise distorted. This is particularly useful and necessary in the case of the doors of elevator wells, inasmuch as there is a very small clearance between the inner face of the door and the edge of the elevator car. In such a case where the operating handle is distorted and bent outwardly, it would project in the path of the elevator car and cause considerable damage when struck by the car. I have, therefore, provided means for retainetti ing the handle in proper position relative to the door and its bracket plate. To this end I offset the lower edge of the bracket plate 2 taltwardl as at 12. The handle 9 is mounted upon the bracket plate to bring its inner face rather closely adjacent the outer face of this offset 12, the under edge of which is formed on a curve with the pivot point 10 as a center. At the point of the offset 12, the handle membe 9 is provided with an inwai'dly offset lip 13 extending in rear of the offset 12 and lying closely adjacent the recessed inner face 12 thereof, this offset lip 13 forming with the handle a channel 14 of a curvature corresponding to that of the curved edge of the offset portion of the bracket 12. The offset 12, therefore, extends between the outer face of the offset lip 13 and the inner face of the handle proper, and guides the handle in its swinging move ment, while at the same time preventing the handle from being pulled outwardly by reason of the interlocking engagement of the offset lip 13 therewith. The lower end of the handle member 9 below the lip 13 is preferably offset outwardly somewhat from the main body of the handle as at 15, so as to be conveniently grasped by the operator.

The bracket plate 2 carries an abutment stud 17 positioned thereon to act as an abutment and engage the lower edge of the toggle arm 3 when it has reached a point where it is in horizontal alinement with its cooperating toggle arm, this abutment stud serving to prevent the toggle arms from moving beyond their horizontally alined position when the door is closed and insuring their dead-center locking action. Positioned on the rear face of the offset edge 12 of the bracket plate, are spaced stop lugs 1f3-1t3 preferably, though not necessarily, formed integral therewith and positioned in the line of movement of the off-set lip 13 of the handle.

Assuming that the door is in closed posi tion with the parts heretofore described in the position indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings stop lug 16 is positioned to engage the forwa rd edge of the handle 9 when the parts are in this position, holding the stud 11 of the handle adjacent the cooperating edge 8 of the cam arm 5. To open the door the operating handle 9 is moved to the right, this serving to move the cam arm 5 upwardly by reason of the stud 11, this movement of the cam arm cooperating with the pin 3 of the toggle arm to break the toggle lock and permit the door to be moved toward open position. The lug 16 is so positioned that it will be engaged by the rear edge of the handle 9 after the handle has moved to break the toggle lock, whereupon further movement of the handle will operate directly upon the door and move it toward open position, the toggle arms swinging upwardly as the door so moves and returning to their horizontally alined position when the door is closed, the other parts of the door operating mechanism assuming the positions indicated in Fig. 1 of the drawings.

The stop lugs 1t3-16 are, of course, made suiliciently large and strong to stand considerable strain. The abutment stud 17 merely acts as a buffer to catch and hold the togle arms in horizontal alinement. The construction described is a very compact one, and the parts are so interlocked. as to prevent any possibility of the handle being distorted from its upper position. In addition the stop lugs 16-16 afford a strong construction which will stand. considerable abuse and strain.

lVhile I have herein described a specific embodiment of the invention, I desire itunderstood that the same may be modified as to structural details within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the character described, in combination, a sliding door, means movably connected therewith adapted to be positioned to lock said door closed, an op erating member carried by said door and movable relative thereto, means controlled by the movement of said member to inoperatively position said locking means, a guide plate fixedly carried by said door having a guiding edge, and having the rear face of said guiding edge recessed, an offset from. said operating member engaging within the recess of said guiding edge, and spaced stops on said guiding edge project ing in the path of movement of said offset.

2. In a device of the character described, in combination, a sliding door, means movably connected thereto adapted to be positioned by the closing of the door to lock said door against opening, operating means pivotally carried by said door and movable relative thereto, means controlled by such movement and operable to move said looking means from locking position, a guide plate fixedly carried by said door provided with a curved guiding edge having its rear face recessed, an offset formed on said pivoted operating means projecting therefrom within said recess and guiding on said curved edge, and spaced stops rigidly carried by said plate at its rear face and lying in the path of movement of the offset of said operating means.

3. In a device of the character described, in combination, a sliding door, means movably connected therewith adapted to be po sitioned by the closing of the door to lock said door against opening movement, an operating handle pivotally carried by said door, means operated by movement of said handle to move said locking means to inoperative position,a guide plate fixedly carried over said guiding edge and within the re- 10 by said door and provided Withacurved guidcessed rear face thereof, said lug being ing edge and having its rear face recessed rigid with said operating handle and interlongitudinally of said guiding edge, said locking said handle with said plate.

recessed portion terminating Within the edges of said plate to provide spaced abut- HENRY VOIGHT' ment stops integral With said plate and ly- Witnesses:

ing in the line of its recess, an ofiset lug GWENDOLINE A. JACKSON,

carried by said operating handle extending CHARLEs E. RUSSELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. 0. 

